The Frozen Gear
by davidpants1650
Summary: Sequel to Life: The Ticking Clock. Shikamaru returns home and on the battlefield to redeem himself in the eyes of Ino and of the village. Will the mountains break him for once and for all, will his ghosts haunt him, is there something he never knew about himself? Takes place immediately after the events of "The Ticking Clock". ShikaIno. SauSaku. NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or the song "Dolly Grey"**

_6 AM in Konoha_

Shikamaru had been summoned to meet Kakashi early that morning. He eagerly sat in the waiting room tapping his thumbs, avoiding awkward stares from Shizune about where he had gone and what not. A ruffled sound came from the door as Kakashi had entered the room.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad to have you back. Let's step inside my office shall we?" He motioned to Shizune to not schedule any appointments this morning.

"Please take a seat."

Shikamaru had sat down and began to familiarize himself with the room. It did not change much from when he last recalled except maybe for a new plant on the desk.

"You look good in that uniform. You should be proud." The Hokage said, while indirectly telling him to sit down.

"Do you know the purpose of your mission?"

"I am sir."

"Glad to hear. No need to waste time getting you up to speed in that case."

"Sir,.." He injected very politely and continued. "I have been gone for months now and all of a sudden I get selected for service along with a promotion? Forgive me sir, but it just doesn't add up in my mind."

Taking a hard look at the newly named Lieutenant, he sighed and poured himself some tea.

"Shikamaru watching you and the group grow up has been the greatest privilege in my life. I love you, you realize that, right?"

"Yes sir-"

"Let's cut the horse shit of calling me sir. C'mon you've known me long enough now."

He nodded and let him continue

"Do you realize the position I was put in? We had Naruto, Choji, and Sauske risk being captured by going to retrieve you? Look.." He paused trying to decide on what to say. "We're glad you're back and ready to serve, but you know what you did wasn't right or even legal."

He lowered his head in shame.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I know you are, but embarking on this journey may warrant forgiveness from the village."

"I only wish to serve the Leaf and her people."

Shikamaru thought he heard his voice crack but ignored it.

"Anyways your convoy is set two depart in two hours headed for the border The Land of Iron shares with Waterfall. You will be debriefed on the objectives of your mission once you arrive. As always may your will burn on and come back soon." Kakashi said while rising from his chair and heading towards the door, pausing for a second before leaving. "She'll be fine" he said before leaving the room.

He sat there in silence as the room became empty. Looking at the palms of his hands, noticing the actions of himself, he replied sheepishly alone "I know she will." Taking a deep breath, he left and made his way down to the flower shop.

Yamanaka Flowers brought warmth to Shikamaru as he saw it from a distance. It was drastically different however; they had a whole new color scheme and now expanded their candy selection to the outside of the store.

"You aren't worried about the neighborhood kids stealing the candy you and your mom bought?" He pronounced, entering through the door and meeting Ino's eyes.

"Usually they don't. Sure they take a couple but it's only a few." She replied while running up to peck him on the lip. "I'm surprised you're here this early."

"Same here, it's way too early." He joked. With his back turned to the cashier's desk he fumbled around the store smelling flowers and helping himself to a piece of chocolate. "Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you sound so far away?" He turned around.

"That's because I'm in the back changing. I have a shift today at the hospital."

"Oh. That's interesting. How is Sakura doing by the way?"

"She's fine."

"That's good."

Ino came back and went behind the cashier to do some restocking in some medical. She noticed Shikamaru was staring at her. "Can I help you? Earth to Shika?"

He hadn't realized the daze he was in and quickly snapped out of it. "Sorry, I just never had the urge to play "doctor", but I do now." He said while admiring her simple beauty that even showed in something as conservative as scrubs.

"Really is that so?" She said seductively before sitting on his lap and grabbing the t.v remote, turning it on to see today's forecast.

"_And a recent development has occurred in the Badia rebellion. The Badia have stated that they want nothing but a peaceful demonstration in the capital but say they cannot due to the government treating them as "Rebels" and "insurgents"._

Shikamaru gulped when he heard that. "This can't be good." He thought to himself.

"Always something depressing going on in the world." Said the blonde as she flipped through the channel s.

Shikamaru reached around and wrapped his arms around hers, "Ino, I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you last night."

Within a second she had turned around to see the Nara. She had a look of curiosity.

He looked into her eyes. "I'm going to be deployed in about an hour." He grimaced while speaking. "Let me start over. I have been chosen to help oversee and if necessary, possibly quell, whatever is going on there. I should have told you this before. I should have told you this. All I have done is just bring you pain. I'm sorry. I must get going." Once he finished he sprang up and began to walk away only to be pulled back by Ino.

"Shika…, I knew that already. Kakashi told yesterday. You don't need to worry. I slept with you last night knowing you were going to leave in the morning, and because I missed you and will continue to. I know that you didn't come back on your own like you wanted, but I'm glad you came back, even if it was for only a night. Shikamaru, I lo-"

"Please do not finish that sentence." He said while taking his hands away from her muted mouth. "I don't deserve your love. I deserted Konoha and more importantly, I deserted you. There's nothing I can do to fix my mistakes, but if there is one thing you should know, it's that I love you and always have, Ino Yamanaka." They met for a passionate kiss that almost seemed to quench the longing they had for each other.

"I'll go with you to the deployment center."

"I'd rather you not. Your shift will begin soon and I want you to be on time."

She gave a sad nod but understood. The kunoichi leaned in and gave him a goodbye kiss and proceeded to walk towards the hospital.

He realized something and sprinted out to meet her, which didn't take too long.

"Ino-" He said while collecting his breath from running after her. "I need to know why you didn't inform me that you knew about my departure."

She looked down at her feet and looked at him. "Because this time… I wanted to know if you were going to say goodbye." Tears had begun to form on her eyelids.

Shikamaru pulled her in and embraced her. Tucking her head onto his neck, she cried. He pushed away her bang and held her. "I promise it will never happen again. You hear me? I promise it to you. I will do good and make you proud. I love you, my flower girl."

"I lov-"

"Don't say it. I must get going. You will always be with me no matter where I go, that's the beauty of it all." He said while his voice trailed as he ran off.

Ino was left there alone, again in tears. But this time it was much different. Wiping away her tears and watching the newly promoted lieutenant run off into the busy streets, she smiled. "I love you, Shikamaru Nara. There, he can't stop me now." She said to herself, with a grin and a slight laugh, and soon proceeded to walk towards the hospital.

Making his way towards the city walls, he saw what appeared to be the deployment convoy, and from the likes of he had just made it before row call.

The list went on and on as shinobi after another stood up, got their information, and walked outside the walls. Silently cursing how long the process took, he made a calculation in his head and came up with the amount of time he can doze off before they call him. Resting his eyes for thirteen minutes, he was awakened a minute early by some nervous recruit who had accidently bumped the back of his head. Rubbing his head he silently cursed out the recruit for costing him a precious (In Shikamaru's eyes) minute of sleep.

"Naga?"

"Present."

"Nagato?"

"Present."

"Nara?"

"Present."

Looking and merely following the soldiers in front of him, he made his way to a table.

"Nara, Shikamaru?" asked a clean shaven man, who had a serious demeanor.

"Yes sir."

"You are appointed to convoy A27, which is right over there, do you see it?" He said while lifting out of his chair, pointing at a tent that had men in uniforms buzzing in and out.

Slowly making his way over to the tent, he let his mind wander off. Images of the cold, frozen, border region dotted with mountain peaks controlled his mind. Although he was trained to fight and strategize in every possible environment he wasn't particularly fond of harsh, ice brittled conditions. Opening the tent he was met with a silence that took over the room. All the other men looked at him. At first Shikamaru did not realize what was taking place, he scanned al their uniforms and saw that he was the highest ranked member out of all of them.

"Attention." All the man lined up.

Shikamaru stood in front of the line waiting to see who had entered. It was the same man from the table before. He had a prematurely aged face from the sun, and salt and pepper hair. He swept in with his serious ways, staring at each and every one of them, until he cracked a smile and laughed.

"All right now that I have properly seen you all, my name is Colonel Hakomo, and I just would like to say it is truly an honor to have you all serving under my wing, and I look forward to leading. Since this is a United Shinobi Alliance division, all of you are from different nations and villages, meaning I don't know you and you don't know me. Laughter broke out amongst the soldiers who loosened up from their previous position. "But it means we should treat our fellow comrade in arms with respect. Understood?" All the soldiers agreed. "Now since that is taken care of. I am going to ask Nara, Shikamaru to please identify himself to me.

Shikamaru turned around and looked at him.

"All right. This here is Lieutenant Nara. He is a revered shinobi from the Village Hidden in The Leaves. He is my main tactician and will also serve as second in command. Would you like to say a few words?"

He swallowed and began "Like the colonel, I look very forward to working and assisting you all. May this mission be blessed with good fortune and safe travels."

"Thank you for the words Lieutenant. Now we are scheduled to be deployed within the next thirty minutes. Please finish your socializing and enter the vehicle you are assigned to."

Shikamaru looked around in bewilderment and wondered where he had been assigned to.

"Come S-Shika-maru, is it? You're riding in the private quarters with me." Hakomo said while patting him on the back.

Once inside the quarters and all the men had entered their assigned vehicles, the convoy began to churn slowly.

"Well this is the beginning of our journey. Do you drink tea Lieutenant?"

"Uhh no, unfortunately." Said Shikamaru.

"That's a shame. Do you know any war songs?"

"Again no."

"It's fine. Looks like I'll have to sing it myself and you'll have to get up to speed with it."

"_I have come to say goodbye, Dolly Gray_

_It's no use to ask me why, Dolly Gray_

_There's a murmur in the air, you can hear it everywhere_

_It is the time to do and dare, Dolly Gray_

_Don't you hear the tramp of feet, Dolly Gray_

_Sounding through the village street, Dolly Gray_

_'Tis the tramp of soldiers' true in their uniforms so blue_

_I must say goodbye to you, Dolly Gray_

_Goodbye Dolly I must leave you, though it breaks my heart to go_

_Something tells me I am needed at the front to fight the foe_

_See, the boys in blue are marching and I can no longer stay_

_Hark, I hear the bugle calling, Goodbye Dolly Gray_

_Hear the rolling of the drums, Dolly Gray_

_Back from war the regiment comes, Dolly Gray_

_On your lovely face so fair, I can see a look of fear_

_For your soldier boy's not there, Dolly Gray_

_For the one you love so well, Dolly Gray_

_In the midst of battle fell, Dolly Gray_

_With his face toward the foe, as he died he murmured low_

_"I must say goodbye and go, Dolly Gray"_

"Of course it would be a song about a woman." He thought to himself. It's funny though, he couldn't stop smiling about that woman.

A/N: And welcome to the second book, story, volume, etc.. of my original story! I'm grateful to have all you wonderful readers and supporters. Again, feel free to message me if you have any suggestions or if just to chat. Thank you so much, and a big shout-out to **sumtyms**, **maxridelover, and kibainuzukalover145. Oh! And I forgot to mention, I know that I tailed off with the NaruHina and Sausaku stuff, but I'll pick up on their relationships very soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters seen on this story.**

"Pssst…psst."

The strawberry haired medic looked around the hallway, but couldn't trace the sound of the noise.

"Over here. Sakura."

She turned around and saw her best friend with a gleeful smirk on.

"Haven't seen you here for a while. I was going to visit you after my shift. How have you been? Come walk with me." Sakura beamed.

The two walked along as Ino assisted her in handing out lunch to the bed-stricken patients.

"Well I actually went to go speak to the overseer of the hospital, and she said that it was fine to come back and continue working. Can't sit down and smell the roses all day, you know?" She laughed while admiring what she had missed out, spending time with Sakura.

"Knowing you...It sounded like a decision you had to sleep on." She replied with a grin. "So anyways how are you? What's been going on with you? You don't seem upset or down anymore. You finally got over him?"

"Well I'm glad you asked, but let's wait until lunch. I got a whopper to tell."

"This should be fun to hear."

A bloodshot eye slowly rose. It took a peek at the alarm clock and closed itself. Wrapping himself further in bed sheets he let out a grunt.

"Damn. It's this late already?" Asked a bitter Uzumaki,

"You know what they say?"

"Please don't say it. Please don't say it." Naruto thought to himself.

"Single life or….finish it."

"I'm not finishing it."

"Single life orrrrrr No life!" Exclaimed Sauske in a drunken fervor.

"Keep telling yourself that buddy." He stood up and washed his face, continuing to hold the conversation with his raven haired friend.

"C'mon look at us! We're single we don't need women. They - burp- they….hold us down."

"Yeah, no definitely." he said laced with sarcasm. "So let me get this straight, we have dinner with our friend who we haven't seen for a while, he leaves, probably try to make peace and if he's lucky, sleep with Ino! Seeing that, you get all moody and shit that you haven't made a move on the girl that has been on your jock for the past…umm, I DON'T KNOW, FOREVER? You go out and get drunk, calling out Sakura's name! And you wake up saying the single life is great. Yeah, no man, agreed a thousand percent." He laughed

"I didn't call her name. I whispered it."

"In my ear, which was really creepy."

Naruto walked to the kitchen and saw that he was overdue on buying groceries, settling for an open box of some generic chocolate cereal.

"Don't act all high and mighty with me. I've seen the way you look at Hinata. You're so unemotional that I confused you with Sai for a second.

"Did someone say call me?" Said the pale, white man. He appeared from almost thin air.

"Sai? – How did you get into our apartment?" Said Sauske

"You mean MY apartment. I let you stay here, lazy bum. Seriously though, how did you get here?"

"You guys don't remember?"

Both of them replied with a "no."

"Well since you were gone, Kakashi told me to watch over your apartment. And that's what I precisely did. I've been hiding in the closet-"

"Well that's a real shocker." Sauske thought to himself.

"In the closet entertaining myself. I drew a bunch of sketches of your closet, want to see?" He asked with all the innocence in the world."

"How about no. That's pretty weird, you can go now." Said Naruto.

"Ok!" He scurried off and ran through the door.

"He's our friend, but the kid's a fucking freak." Said the Uchiha.

"Yeah he is." He said while finishing the bowl of cereal. "And just for your information, Kiba is interested in Hinata and vice versa.

"Of course she is, and I'm an asshole!"

"But you are."

"I know that, but you get where I'm getting at?"

"Not going to happen, would you just drop it?" Naruto yelled.

"You know what? I'm going to do it. Yeah. I'm going to run straight to the hospital, look Sakura in the eye and ask her out on a real date! What do you think?"

His ambivalent friend was scrolling through the web, not paying attention to what Sauske had to say.

"Alright, you can be mad all you want. I'm just saying you should give yourself a chance. I'm going to go now. Wish me luck." And just like that he was off and running to Yamanaka flowers in search of some flowers.

A wave of sadness had hit Naruto once Sauske left to go pursue Sakura. Knowing his friend was right about asking out the girl who had grown on him since his days at the academy, he sighed. Unfortunately he had begun to ignore her ever since the night at the carnival. Obviously he had seen her around the village every now and then, but he really tried his best to not notice her. He was scrolling through Hinata's page on some social media sight, looking through photos, old posts, her interests, etc. A smile was planted on his face when he came across and old post, dated from two years ago. It was a picture of Hinata and himself smiling in celebration of the end of the war. Clicking and diving further into her page, he saw that Ino had posted it with a caption that read "Konoha couple sightings." His cheeks had a pinkish hue to them and he felt them get hotter.

Continuing to scroll, he looked at how many people saw and commented on the photo. _Ping! "You have approved of this photo_."

"_WAIT WHAT?! NO. NO. HOW DO I UNAPPROVE? OH CRAP. HOW DO I UNAPPROVE?" _ Naruto said to himself in a frenzy.

He began to slam to the keyboard, hoping that somehow it would unapproved the photo. _Ping! "You have commented on this photo. Your comment: jfihsaifhsdofgdvhcoibfd[oibdfwhqoihfo43t943u."_

"_You've got to be kidding me."_

The air was filled with the scent of leftover chicken and rice. Sakura and Ino finally found the free time to catch up over their scheduled lunch.

"I miss this place so much. I'm really glad I'm back." Said the blonde cheerfully as she reached into her bag and pulled out a small tuna roll.

"Same. I'm really happy that the old Ino is back." Replied her best friend, while finishing her yogurt.

"So even though like, I haven't been gone from your life, it feels like I have, so how has things been with you in the boy department?" she asked playfully.

"Well between working, visiting you when you were down, and errands you can say I just haven't had the time."

"Not even Sauske? I mean I thought you guys had a thing. He was there with you when you guys found me, remember? I really doubt 'just friends' hang out with each other that late at night." She tried to get her to shed some light on the subject.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well we weren't 'just friends', I admit that. But umm…..nothing ever happened after that. We just stopped talking to each other." She said with a hint of disappointment.

"Sorry to hear that." Her smile disappeared.

"Nah, it's ok. Anyways, what's the story you were going to tell me?"

"Ahhh anxious aren't we? So where should I begin?"

"I don't know, the beginning?" She couldn't resist the chance to condescend her friend.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Don't get your panties in a wad. Relax."

"Sooo…Shikamaru came back last night." Ino tried her best to be composed as possible, hiding her excitement.

"Really?! Holy smoke! How is he? Did you see him? Why did he come back?"

"Well Kakashi informed me that he was coming back temporarily because he was going to get deployed to the Land of Iron."

"Oh…"

"I wasn't going to pursue him or try to find him. So I'm in the apartment when I hear a knock on my door. I peeked through it and saw it was him."

"And you let him in?"

"After a few seconds of mulling it over, I let him in and make him some tea."

"Then what happened!?"

"We…uhhh…we had sex." She said while trying to gauge Sakura's feelings.

She had remained silent.

"It's ok. Everything is fine now." She tried to reassure her friend.

Looking into her eyes, she spoke."Are you sure? How can you say that? Shikamaru is always going to be one of us, but you have to remember what he did."

"I know, but I love him. Just like you do with Sauske."

Sakura's stomach cringed at the reality that was presented to her.

"I know you're worried and all, but you don't need to be."

"This isn't something that just disappears."

"I get that but it's different."

"How so? Remember way back when you told me that if Sauske were to ever hurt me, that you would make a team to strangle him? It's just tough…you know? Forgiving him and all."

Ino moved her tongue around her mouth and thought. She said very faintly "He said goodbye."

"E-excuse me?"

"He said goodbye!" She tried to hold back from going ballistic. "Is that what it takes?!" Trying to hold back tears, she blew on her bang to push it to the side. "I haven't even told my mom yet, how do you think I feel right now?" She buried her head underneath her arms. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap at you. I just feel like everyone is going to treat me like I'm some idiot, when they found out."

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have kept poking at you. So he said goodbye this time?"

"Yeah. He came over this morning, told me that he always loved me, and also said he'll come back."

"He did eventually. So I doubt he won't." She put an arm over her shoulders.

A doctor had walked into the room. Seeing the situation, she tried her best to avoid the comforting friends, until she realized one of them might have been Sakura.

"Excuse me, Sakura?"

Her head shot in the opposite direction "Yes?"

"You have a visitor waiting to see you."

"A visitor? Are you positive?"

"Yes. He has been requesting to see you."

"Ok…thanks."

The kunoichi both looked at each other and wondered momentarily who could it have been, until they both ended up with the same conclusion.

"No, why would he- -I mean at work?" Her eyes grew.

"Well who it else would it be? It could be Naruto but he wouldn't come in person to tell you something unless it's really important."

"I guess." She tried to play off her sudden exhilarating pace. "Does my hair look ok?"

"Yes of course! Go!"

Walking into a room knowing that your crush is there isn't the easiest thing to do, just ask Sakura how many times she tripped in the academy, or made a bad joke, or garbled her words, in front of the Uchiha.

She walked in acting very innocently, when it happened, again. Knocking over a little container of pens, everyone in the room looked at her, even garnering some glares from the medical assistants, who are very anal about organization.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry." She said in embarrassment.

Looking around, she couldn't find anybody that wanted to see her. Turning around she turned back towards the assistants, whom pointed out that the man had just left after waiting for nearly twenty minutes.

Carefully peeping out through the doors, she stuck her head out and saw him.

"Sauske?"

He turned around and saw her, an 'Oh" escaped his mouth.

"Hey. How have you been?"

"I've been fine. What about you stranger? Haven't seen you in a while."

"I realize that." He laughed. "I was just walking by and thought 'Hey. I haven't seen Pinkie in a while. So I just dropped by. But uhh..you're busy, I can tell. So I'm leaving right now."

"Oh. Well I just got the message now, sorry. I've been meaning to catch up with you too. I haven't because work and all."

Sauske nodded awkwardly and tried to avoid eye contact.

"How about we catch up once my shift is over? I'll meet you at your apartment?"

"It's technically Naruto's, but sure. You're welcomed to come over." He said cheekily.

"Ok. I'll see you soon!" She said while casually walking back inside. She thought to herself "_Sometimes you got to make your own chances."_

**A/N: Hey guys! Glad to see all the reviews and positive vibes about the sequel. I realized that towards the second half of my first story, that I pretty much ignored the blossoming relationship of Sakura and Sauske, and I'm going to resolve that. Hope you liked the humor and stay tuned for the next chapter! As always feel free to leave a review! Big thanks to sumtyms,** **Scepidilionz, and maxridelover.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters depicted or named in this chapter.**

A hazy smoke filled the lungs of Shikamaru. No amount of coughing could quite get the explosive laced air out of his lungs. It was all a blur. Slowly he began to pierce together his memory of the past few hours.

"How long do you think the mission will take, Colonel Hakomo?" The Nara asked as he lazily looked out the window, day-dreaming about his friends and home.

"As long as it takes." The Colonel replied with his ongoing serious demeanor, until he bursted into laughter. "I'm sorry; I just play the role of the hard-ass a lot. Can't really give you a timetable, remember we are forces of the Shinobi Alliance, we're here for diplomatic reasons, to say 'we're here and we care about this rebellion.' Hopefully this will be resolved quickly and we can all go home."

"Same here. I really would like to go home also."

"You got a family back home?"

"Well…I mean both my parents are gone. Mostly friends, and a girl as well." He said while looking up, exposing a shade of red in cheeks. He didn't know if had blushed at the thought that he finally reached peace with the death of his parents , or if it was Ino.

"It's always a girl is it not?" Hakomo said with a chuckle and a pat on the back. "I got a family back home in Suna. Well, in the process. My wife's expecting sometime next month."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. Do you drink tea?"

"Tea? Not really. I never had an acquired taste for it."

"Same here, but I learned to appreciate it. My wife got me into it not too long ago." He had produced a picture. It was him and his wife smiling with a waterfall in the back.

"Vacation?"

"Yes, that picture was taken during our honeymoon."

"She's beautiful." Said Shikamaru as he studied the smiles on their faces. "I got a picture too." He reached into his pocket and showed his Colonel the photo all the teams took at the celebratory post-war bash.

"Nice group of friends. I remember my young days." He gazed into the photo one more time. "Wait a second? Isn't that Naruto Uzumaki? And the Uchiha?"

"Yes. The strongest shinobi I have seen. Naruto really grew up and saved us all, didn't he?"

"He was immature?"

"You should have seen it when he was little, he went around the whole village causing trouble, and we're close friends."

Hakomo was still deciphering the photo, amazed that he knew them.

"And you're a Nara right?"

He nodded.

"You're father served as a strategist for the kages?"

"Yes, sir. He was a gifted tactician; I only hope I can become as good as him one day."

"Well that's why you're here, aren't you?"

A smile grew on the Nara's face.

"So the legendary Shika-Ino,-Cho. Pretty interesting."

"Yeah you can say that. They're my closest friends." He pointed them out in the photo. "I think I have another one, just the three of us. " Showing him a goofy photo they took at a photo booth during the party.

The photo brought amusement to both as they started laughing. "I was referring to your fathers, but you guys are the next generation."

"Yeah, we're all on a little break granted by our hokage, so none of us are really doing any high level missions at the moment." Shikamaru had his eyes fixed on the photo. He had an unconscious happiness as he saw Ino's laughing face in the photo. She was wearing tackily large glasses, with a Hawaiian floral necklace with her arms wrapped around her childhood friends.

"So she's the girl? She's very pretty." A smiling Hakomo had caught him looking at the photo for a while.

He nodded in embarrassment. "She's troublesome."

The colonel stood up and walked to the back of the vehicle, returning shortly after with another glass. He handed it to his Lieutenant and proposed a toast.

"To our friends and our loved one's back home." Their glasses clinked.

Shikamaru leaned back into his chair and silently recalled the Shinobi Post-War bash.

It was a cool, dry night. Many of the vendors were pouring free rounds on the house. It was more of a street festival than of an actual bash but that didn't stop anyone from dancing on a makeshift floor. Shikamaru had just finished arriving and wore a simple white dress shirt, and black pants. He began to search for his best friend, whom he found waiting in line for a pork kebab.

"Hey Choji! I've been looking everywhere for you! So many damn people here, I thought I was never going to find anyone."

"S-Shikamaru! I really can't hear you too well right now. Do you want to see the others?" The crowd and music began to overtake everyone's ears.

"Sure! Just let me find Temari, and I'll see you. Stay right here."

A brief time passed and Shikamaru found the girl he had been courting for a while now.

"Shall we go?" He said, smiling to have the Suna blonde next to him.

The three began to take in all the sights, tastes, and events, of that particular evening. Choji also happened to catch Temari rest her head on his friend's shoulders. Choji had received a phone call and left them alone for a minute.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Of course! This is a great moment in our lives! And everyone is here enjoying themselves. What a night!"

"It's even better when you-"

Choji had returned from his phone call with intriguing news. "Naruto and everyone else are having dinner at the ramen shop. He invited all of us, do you want to go?"

"Sure!" Temari said excitedly.

"You heard her." The pineapple haired man said.

They proceeded to walk towards a packed ramen house, with customers eating both inside and outside. They soon saw their friends, and joined them at the already large table.

"Did you guys order already?" Asked Choji.

"No we haven't ." Replied Sakura

A few minutes later Ino had made her way to the table.

"Ino? I didn't know you were here." Said Choji.

"Choji! Shikamaru!" She yelled out and hugged them. She gave an awkward smile to Temari, not that they disliked each other; she just didn't know her too well.

"Where were you?" Asked Shikamaru.

"I was in the ladies room."

"Ahhhh."

The dinner went along with smiles, jokes, and memories. For that one moment, everyone had forgotten about the losses they suffered during the war, forgotten about any rivalries, even forgot what Sauske did, for a moment.

"Well what are you guys going to do before the night ends?" Asked a stuffed Naruto.

"I think I'm going to call it a night. I ate too much." Said Choji.

"That's a shocker." Said Shikamaru.

"I'm going to call it a night also." Said Temari, as she stood up and planted a kiss on his cheek and left.

"I'm going to walk around. Sakura, would you please accompany me?" Ino pleaded.

"Sorry. I would any other night, but I am beat. I'm fighting my body at this point to stay up."

"What about you Naruto?" Ino asked again, showcasing her big blue eyes.

"Nope. Me and Sauske are going to accompany to Sakura back home."

"I'll go with you. I can't leave you alone by yourself at night." Said Shikamaru with a gaze that wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

"You think Temari will be fine with it?"

"Of course she will. She knows you."

"Ok."

The two had exchanged goodbyes with their friends who were still at the table and proceeded to walk the streets.

"So can I ask why are you walking at night? The whole town is deserted! This is how you get in trouble! At this time no one but the pervs and freaks come out, you're so damn troublesome you know that?"

"I know. You always tell me that." She said giggling. "I wanted to show you guys something tonight, but Choji left home."

"We can still go right now if you want. I'll still act surprised for him." He said smiling and closing the gap their bodies made while walking.

The only the thing that was still visible at that hour was the endless trail of multicolored confetti that littered the streets, along with a few light posts. Before long they had walked to the training grounds.

"Why are you taking me to the training grounds at this hour?" He asked not realizing she had evaded his detection and went off into the forest. He sighed and mumbled "troublesome".

"Ino, where are you?"

"I'm over here!" The blonde called out deep within the forest.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see. Just be patient." Shikamaru heard her rustle around the bushes and ground.

After a few minutes Ino walked out with an exotic bouquet of different flowers. Shikamaru thought for a second that her eyes appeared watery but she turned away suddenly.

"Follow me." She said while reaching out her hand.

Shikamru grabbed it and let himself be dragged along by her. He was wondering why in the world would she lead him here of all places. They soon made it to an empty field where a lone tree was the only thing in sight.

"Do you have a lighter on you?"

"Nope. I stopped smoking. Temari said it was really detrimental to my health."

She rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself _"Not like I haven't been telling you that." _

"Did you say something?"

"Nope! I just think you're lying." Replying triumphantly while sticking her tongue out.

"Fine, don't tell Temari, ok?" He said before pulling out his lighter.

Ino grabbed it and lowered herself next to the tree.

"Close your eyes."

He obliged.

"Now open them."

A small gasp slipped out of his mouth. Looking at Ino, a sense of solace had overtaken his mood. He walked towards the tree and bent down. His eyes met his fathers, then Inoichi's. He was face to face with both of them. Taking a step back he saw the bouquet Ino had collected next to a candle. Without realizing it he began to cry. The kunoichi had ran over to comfort him.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were ready to see it. I didn't mean to-"

Shikamaru had cut off her words with a tight embrace.

"Thank you." He whispered.

He bent down one last time and looked at his father. "I'm going to make you proud." He left his lighter as a token.

"Thank you again, Ino."

"I really didn't mean for this to happen." She sniffled.

"Shh." Wiping away her oncoming tears.

"Things are never going to be the same now."

"Let's just enjoy tonight, right now. I'm glad I'm spending it with a loved one."

She smiled and went back to bury her head in his chest in another tight embrace.

"Shikamaru? Shikamaru!" Hakomo was about to splash water in the day-dreamer's face.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" breathing heavily, he took a look at his superior. "I apologize, what were you asking me?"

"A smoke? Would you like to step outside and smoke?" The colonel said while pulling out a golden lighter. He noticed his lieutenant admiring it and unexpectedly tossed it to him. "Nice reflexes."

"Wow. Look at that craftsmanship. It even has the Suna emblem engraved on it."

"Yup, just one of the few gifts you get for rising through the ranks and passing your leadership exam. Keep it."

"I thank you for this wonderful gift, but I don't smoke. My girlfriend said it's troublesome for my health." He said while tossing it back to Hakomo.

"Very well then. I will be outside having a smoke; you're free to join me."

"Thank you."

The colonel left the small room and closed the door.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and smiled. Taking full advantage of the silence and comfort, he began to doze off, looking at the rolling plains in front of him, they soothed him to sleep.

A few hours later he was awoken by a blaring siren

"What the hell is going on?!"

He had returned back to consciousness at possibly the worst time, the last thing he recalled was a harrowing scream coming from the outside followed by explosions.

Then it went black.

**A/N: Hey guys! I just want to give a big thank you to all of you who have favorited/followed the story, it means a lot to me. I also would like to thank and welcome all the first time readers who are currently reading "Life: The Ticking Clock", ever since this story has come online, views for that story have been piling up, and I look forward to all the readers catching up to this point. As always feel free to leave a review! Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters named in this chap**ter.

She happily walked back inside with a smile. After all the twists and turns, she was finally going on a date with Sauske. Her joy had almost blinded her, singing old childhood songs and almost skipping, revealing what had just occurred. Without hesitation she twirled and stuck her arms out, she was still a klutz however and once again knocked over all the pens the assistants had just finished organizing once again.

They had all given her another death stare, to which Sakura sheepishly apologized. "I'm so sorry! I really am!" She quickly ran off to fine Ino, and further avoid their tantrum that was about to ensue.

"Ino, there you are? You couldn't wait for me to get my stuff back?" She asked once she entered into a medical office that they both shared along with other nurses. Noticing that she was oblivious to her question she peeked over and tried to see what she was up to. "What are you doing?"

"Ahh! You startled me."

"What is that? Are those medical records?"

"Shhhh! Not so loud billboard brow! Do you want everyone to know what we're doing?"

"We're?!"

"Well, I got a little bored waiting for you, and I presumed it was Sauske outside wanting to ask you on a date, so I just started looking through his medical records, you know, the juicy stuff."

"I'm not surprised, pig."

Ino playfully brushed off the name. "Let's see how well you know your future boyfriend, eh?"

"No. We shouldn't be doing this."

"How tall is he?"

Sakura answered robotically, she couldn't help it. "167 centimeters"

"Ouch, 168 actually."

"Give me another one!" She was a little upset that she had gotten it wrong, but she refused to show it.

"Weight?"

"52 kilograms." Her response was even quicker than before.

"Correct."

"I guess, one more couldn't hurt."

"You secretly like this."

"Shut up."

"Blood type?"

"Ummmmm….AB?"

"Congrats! You are a certified….Sauske stalker, but we already knew that."

"You were one also!"

"Yeah, but things change." She stuck her tongue out in victory.

"Quick! What's Shikamaru's favorite move while playing Shogi?"

"Duhhhh, obviously if it's against someone like me that doesn't know how to play he likes to use his lances, other times against more skilled opponents he always uses his rook to lead an attack." Ino said with normality.

"And you're a certified helicopter girlfriend!" She said laughing.

"No I'm not! Ughhh… you annoy me so much sometimes. Anyways.." She turned around and looked at her best friend. "Did he ask you?"

Sakura took a deep breath and revealed a smile.

"Ahhhhh! He did!"

"Technically I asked him. He was being all weird and jittery. I invited myself back to his place tonight after work and we'll see from there." Sakura's phone went off immediately after.

"Is it him?"

"No, my parents."

"Tell Auntie and Uncle I said "Hello!" Or give me the phone right after?"

Sakura answered it.

"Hey mom! How are you?"

Ino barely could make out the voices in the phone, something the "Gossip Queen of Konoha" has always done when bored.

Sakura continued to talk.

"That's good. I'm really glad you guys are going to start a new vegetable garden."

"…."

"Tonight?!"

"…"

"I mean I already made plans-"

"….!"

"I know family always comes first! But you guys just kinda decided on this at the last possible minute."

"!"

"Ok. Ok. OK MOM. I'll ask to see if they would like to have dinner with us. I got to go mom."

"?"

"Mom, I really got to go back to work. Oh, and Ino says "Hi!"

Ino stood right next to Sakura and blasted a "Hello!" next to her ear.

"…!"

"Ok. I'll be sure to relay the message to her as well. Love you, mom. Bye." Once clicking the phone she slumped over her chair and blew out a heavy breath of frustration.

"What happened?" Ino asked curiously.

"My parents want to have dinner tonight, at MY house." She huffed. "Can you believe that? Of all nights, tonight is the night they want to come over? What do I tell Sauske?" She rubbed one of her eyes in displeasure.

"Reschedule?"

"I don't want him to think I'm giving him the cold shoulder. I think I'm going to tell him to come over instead."

"Really? You don't think that'll scare him off?"

"Well…I mean I don't want to mess this up, and I'm sure he can handle it. By the way, my mother invited you and your mother over as well."

"Awesome! We'll be there. I'll walk with you after our shift is over and help you set up the table and what not."

"Sounds like a plan."

After their work day had ended, the girls had walked home to help prepare the meal and the house. Sakura had decided that she was going to make lamb chops, and proceeded to. Carefully she sliced the meat, placing it in the oven, while it marinated with the juices and spices of the other ingredients. Ino had cleaned up some of Sakura's house, adding some flowers to spruce up the appearance, while also vacuuming a bit.

"Sakura, I'm going to go back to my apartment, I forgot to bring my clothes, I'll be right back. The table is already set; do you want me to bring a bouquet for the table?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Ok. Be right back."

Ino had walked out, leaving Sakura alone for a bit. Reaching into her pocket, she had pulled out her phone and scrolled down the list of contacts until she found the man she was looking for.

"Hello?" He answered, he sounded dazed.

"Just finished taking a nap? I thought Shikamaru was the lazy one."

He chuckled a bit. "Sorry, my attention was preoccupied by something at the moment. What's up? Are we still down for tonight?"

"Yeah, but there has been a slight change of plans. Uhhh, do you think you can make it over to my house instead? My parents called and they wanted to have dinner with me, and I couldn't really say no to them."

"Wait, you want me to have dinner with your parents tonight?

"Well, not just my parents. Ino and her mom will be here too." She hoped he wasn't too freaked out.

Sauske silently cursed this situation he was presented. He looked forward to tonight until this was thrown at him. "Uhh, I'll see. No promises."

Sakura had a look of distaste on her face. "What do you mean, "No promises"? You either know or you don't. "

"I just don't feel that comfortable. I was hoping tonight would have been casual."

"But it is. It's just my parents." She said with hidden anger.

"What time is it going to be at?"

"Eight."

"Once again, I'll see." Sauske immediately clicked, he didn't want to hear pinkie's wrath.

Sakura had cursed the Uchiha's name once he clicked. She stared at the oven timer, and shrugged with disappointment. Moments later she heard Ino at the door.

"I'm back! I'll be upstairs changing if you need me. You should be getting changed soon as well. Oh, and I have someone delivering the bouquet to your house."

A few minutes later the Yamanaka came out and presented herself in the kitchen, wearing a blue and white floral dress that emphasized her curves.

"You look really pretty. I wasn't expecting a dress, I thought we we're going to go the casual route."

"Casual route!? You're having dinner with Sauske and you thought about dressing casually? You got to impress him! As for me, well I always have to keep up for appearances." She gave a devilish smile.

Sakura rolled her eyes and begrudgingly said, "I'm not so sure if Sauske is going to come. I told him about my parents and he freaked out." She sighed. "Whatever, it's not a big deal anyways." The Uchiha had always found a way to hurt her, even when he didn't mean to.

"You sure?" Ino asked, placing a hand on her hip. "Your face says otherwise."

It was true, for as long as she knew her best friend, she could always tell how she was feeling just by one glance, even during the years that Sakura broke off their friendship.

"I'll be ok. My parents didn't know who was coming to dinner anyways."

"Really? You never told your parents about Sauske?"

"Why would I? What was the point of telling them I had been in love with a guy who ignored me for most of my life? What about you?"

"My parents knew" She scoffed playfully. "They didn't say anything, thinking it was nothing more than a childhood crush, but my dad, being the control-freak that he was, always tried to nudge me to pick either between Shikamaru or Choji, the only boys he trusted."

"You didn't need much nudging did you?"

"I did need a bit, and Sai didn't help much either. As time went on, I guess I gradually developed feelings for Shika, maybe they were always there and I didn't realize it, who knows?" She said gleefully while washing her hands.

"Well I'm glad that you guys finally ended up together, between you and me I always had a thought that he was into you, like even when we were little. " Sakura replied, while taking out the lamb chops from the oven. She pulled out a knife and evenly began to slice them. "To be honest with you Ino, I don't even know why I'm doing this."

The doorbell rang.

The pink haired woman slammed down her fists in a rage. "Nope! Not going through with this. I'm not even dressed yet, nor am I in the mood to host it."

"Sakura! You can't just say that! C'mon! Go upstairs and get dressed. I'll take of the lamb."

The doorbell rang once more.

"Yup, I'm not going through with this."

"Yes you are! Mind-Transfer Jutsu!" Ino said before teleporting into Sakura. Her body fell to the floor.

"If you're not going to answer the door, I will." Exclaimed the blonde in her friend's body.

She ran open to open the door contemplating the guests were getting impatient. Her mouth dropped in surprise when it was revealed that it was merely a courier delivering the bouquet she had ordered.

"Here you go m—"The courier looked at her riddled with fear. He was silent and began to hyperventilate; his hands trembled as he needed a signature.

"Are- Are you okay?"

"Please! Please, don't hurt t me!"

"Hurt you? What the hell?" Ino thought to herself until she began to piece together all the hints. "OH! No! No! I'm not a murderer. "She laughed, which made her look deranged. "That girl that's unconscious on the floor is actually me! I'm in my friend's body." She continued to laugh at the circumstance, which didn't help her case. "This knife is bloody because I was just preparing dinner. Oh wait, well I was preparing lamb. I'm not a cannibal."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" The man screamed and ran off, almost throwing the flowers at her in pure fear.

"Be careful! These are very delicate, you know! They're asters!" She slammed the door and paused for a brief second and began to laugh once more at the situation.

After a few more brief moments, she had returned back to her own body.

"Well that was interesting."

Sakura gave her a glare. "Let's just hope the cops don't show up. I'll be upstairs changing, I guess."

"Wear something pretty!" She said to her as she left the room.

Eventually she returned back to the kitchen in a red halted dress.

"So what do you think?"

Ino had been lazily flipping through a magazine until she was asked. "Woah! You took my advice."

"Well I figured I couldn't be showed up in my own home. Is everything set already?"

'Yup. Lamb chops were finished, and I arranged the bouquet on the table."

"You think he shows up? They'll be here any minute."

"He'll be an idiot if he doesn't." She smirked.

The two girls sat continued to hang around the kitchen, awaiting their tea that they had just begun to brew. Once finished they clinked glasses.

"Let's hope tonight goes well." Said Sakura.

Sakura's parent's soon entered the house with her father's boisterous nature, long hugs, and bad jokes, his presence had already been quickly established, along with her mother who often had to calm down her husand. Ino's mother had also made her way over, and began to talk with them as well.

"So who do I give my thanks to for this dinner that looks like a winner!" Sakura's dad began to laugh at his own joke.

"Hang in there, Sakura. Hang in the." She thought to herself, unsure of how much more she could take from her father's poor humor.

"Oh, shut it, Kizashi. Ine doesn't want to hear your jokes."

"No, it's quite fine Mebuki, really. One is blessed to hear humor every day."

"You see? Ine enjoys my jokes."

Ine had cleared her throat to speak. "Sakura, this lamb is delicious. Thank you for having me and Ino over."

"Thank you, Auntie. It wouldn't be dinner without you guys." She replied while giving a proper bow at the table.

"I must ask though, why is there an empty chair?"

"That's because Sakura had invited one of her friends over as well, but it appears something had come up at the last minute." Said Mebuki.

"I really like the bouquet you picked out for tonight, well chosen." Ine said to Ino.

"Thank you, mother."

A knock came from the door. Both girls turned their heads at each other.

"Do you think that's him?" Sakura mouthed in silence.

Ino replied with a shrug.

"I'll…get it." Sakura announced.

She had made her way through the door and checked through the peek hole. It was him. She quickly opened the door and hugged him and led him to the table.

"Everybody, this is my friend Sauske. He's a good friend of mine."

"Come, sit down. You must be hungry." Said Mebuke.

"I would but I also brought a bouquet. Give me just a second."

Sauske had rushed out and brought in a giant vase with bright flowers. It was so big, well…no one could actually see across the table.

"It's uh…beautiful. Thank you." Sakura said as she tried to figure out where Sauske was sitting.

"You're welcome." He said. Sakura still didn't know where he was and she felt like she was talking to a bush.

"So Sauske, where have I heard you name before?" Asked Kizashi.

"Well…I'm assuming that whoever is talking is Sakura's father."

"Yes."

"Well I'm an Uchiha."

A collective "Oh" was heard all across the table/bush/garden.

"That's interesting. Ino, how are things with the boys?"

"You mean Choji and Shikamaru, uncle?

"I meant your dating situation."

Ino froze at that question. It's not that she wasn't involved with Shikamaru, she just hadn't told her mom about it yet. Truth be told she wasn't quite sure of her opinion on the Nara. He was the guy that didn't say goodbye to her daughter and left, her mother knew that. Deep down inside though, she knew he was going through a lot at, and she still loved him like a son. She gulped and spoke.

"Well actually, I am dating Shikamaru." She hoped she made the right choice of words.

Ine raised an eyebrow and Ino felt the weight of her stare. Mebuki also caught sight of this and made an excuse to talk to her friend.

"Ine, would you accompany to powder my nose?" Her nonverbal cues made it clear that she wanted to talk.

"Of course, shall we?"

They stood up proceeded to head towards the bathroom

"What happened over there? Were you surprised that Ino's dating? She's eighteen."

"It's not that, it's who she's dating."

"Shikamaru? What's wrong with him? I know Inoichi would approve of it. He's a good kid, smart, strong background, responsible. I wish Sakura would have ended up finding a guy like him. This guy Sauske? I get this sense, that there is something he's trying to hide or something is off with him."

"I can't really help you on that one, but I sense something too."

"Glad I'm not the only one. Anyways, what's wrong with Shikamaru?"

"He's an outstanding kid. He's very bright, well-mannered around me, caring, strong, brave. Do you remember what happened to Yoshino?"

Her head lowered in sadness and nodded,

"That night, he ran away and left Ino. They were dating before for a short period, and I don't know it's not something I can just forgive so easily, you know? I watched him grow up, and I love him, and I'll never be able to experience the trauma that he's gone through, but that's my daughter. I'm a mother first."

Mebuki reassured her. "Your daughter is no weakling. She's smart, gorgeous, and nice. She could have the pick of the litter, yet she chose him. There is a reason for that. He must have returned home and made things right with her. She's in good hands, trust me."

A smile grew on Ine's face, realizing that it must have been true, that he came back and made it up to her daughter. "You're right." She said and hugged her friend. "You think our daughters are going to grow up and be like us?"

"Pffft. They can only dream." They both laughed and returned to the dinner table.

The feast went on, bottles were popped, glances were shown, some were returned, some were not.

Ino and Ine said their goodbyes and shared their appreciation. The mother and daughter were walking back to the apartment they shared together. A silence had clouded the sound.

"Sakura made a wonderful meal, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, it was. I helped her put the finishing touches on the chops."

"You did?" Ine sensed that her daughter was very cautious and silent towards her. "That dress you're wearing is very nice, where did you buy it?"

"The marketplace, a few days to be exact."

Ino stopped walking and looked at her mother. She had the look of a fawn experiencing its first winter.

"Mom, I'm really sorry for not telling you about Shikamaru." She lowered her head, expecting to feel the disapproving stare of her.

Her mother walked towards her and grabbed her hands. "Ino,-"

"No!" A silent sob had come out. "It's ok. You can think I'm so blonde tramp, that doesn't know what love is or anything, or that I'm wasting my time on him, you can-"

Ine was angered at the fact that her own daughter would talk about herself that way, so she slapped her.

"I'm sorry."

"No! You shouldn't be. And you shouldn't be talking about yourself that way! I'm perfectly fine with your choice. Shikamaru is a great man. Honorable, reliable, and he will always protect you. I'm mad that you put yourself down right now because you love him. Has anyone called you that? A tramp? If so, le me know and I'll have Shika or Choji rough them up."

Like mother, like daughter.

"No." She sniffled. "I just assumed that you wouldn't approve, because-"

"The past is the past, Ino! Look, I'm your mother and I will always love you no matter what. You are my marveling, intelligent, polite, and you have a lovingness that makes you so unique. Take Sakura for instance. When everyone shut her out when you guys were toddlers, you were the one that looked past it all and loved her, you nurtured her, and introduced her to your friends. Same as Shikamaru. You're always there for people, and you never give up on them. That's what makes you Ino. Now let's continue to walk. I'll make us tea when we get home, and I don't want to hear another word from you that isn't positive." She put a hand on her daughter's face and lifted it, when they made eye contact, she smiled at her daughter.

Ino smiled back and resumed to walk with her mother.

"So how is Shikamaru by the way, what is he up to?"

The conversation had continued with each step, fading into the night. Ino was smiling.

_Meanwhile_

"Bye mom. Bye dad." Sakura said as she finished waving. She closed the door and looked at the dirty table.

"Do you want some help?"

She jumped a bit, not realizing Sauske was still in her home.

"It's fine." She had begun to pick up the plates around the surface.

"I would be a bad guest if I didn't." And he began to pick up all the utensils.

They made pleasant small talk while they washed the dishes together.

"Do you want something to drink? I got sake, wine, tea."

"I'll take a bottle of sake."

Reaching into her refrigerator she noticed he was smiling at her.

"Here you go."

"What are you going to drink?" He asked, before taking a sip.

"I have some tea that I brewed a few hours back." She went back into the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. Walking over to her patio, she gave her dream-boy a long, seductive look. "Care to join me outside?"

Sauske took another swig of it and joined her.

"You cook well. Future wife material, I'll tell you that much."

"Well, I actually like my men who aren't afraid to turn up the heat in the kitchen.

Sauske leaned her over the guardrail and lifted one of her legs. Tracing her thighs with his fingers. "Who said I didn't know anything about turning up the heat?" He whispered.

She hesitated for a brief second, and connected with his lips.

**A/N: I promised you all some Sauske and Sakura, so hope you enjoyed it. There are some things I wanted to clarify. When it came to Sauske's height and weight I was too surprised at how little everyone on the show is. The numbers astonished me as I scrolled through narutopedia. Also just to avoid any confusion. No, Sakura and Ino aren't cousins. I just used the way Ino referred to Sakura's parents in episode 271, because I wanted to emphasize how close they really are to each other. As always feel free to review, that's always greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for next chapter as we see what happens with Shikamaru. Fun fact, Ine means rice in Japan apparently, lol.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters named here. **

He lay there and watched. The agonizing screams, the nightmarish shrieks—he couldn't bear to watch it, but alas, he had to. These were his comrades.

_They're my comrades_.

It was then that Shikamaru learned what true kindness was. All of the convoy's tires were shot out, forcing it to roll over in a deadly domino effect. Screams and shouts in an alien language could be heard in the distance; unsure if it was enemy sabotage or not, he stood frozen, contemplating his next move.

Walking ever-so-slowly through the smoke, he saw a soldier clutching at his stomach.

"Don't move. You'll only make it worse," he told the soldier gently, unable to recognize him under a heavy coat of ash.

The soldier didn't make a sound; gripping the hands of his lieutenant, he saluted him and closed his eyes for good. Shikamaru could do nothing but clutch his hand powerlessly.

Another explosion was heard, followed by more panic. He rushed towards it.

"Get down!" a raspy voice bellowed as someone knocked him down. Shikamaru whipped out a kunai, alarmed at the sight of his superior, colonel Hakomo. "Glad to see you're still okay."

"What has happened? I was nodding off and-"

"I'm not too sure. I think it was an ambush."

"Badia?"

"Can't confirm." His eyes trailed off in the opposite direction

"Sir, you're bleeding. There's a gash on your forehead," Shikamaru said with concern.

"We'll get it checked out. Let's assess the damage and collect the names." Hakomo's eyes were filled with anger.

Shikamaru trotted off in the opposite direction Hakomo took, collecting names and seeing lifeless faces, all in the name of "peacekeeping." The head count confirmed eleven soldiers lost in the chaos.  
"Good, only eleven," Hakomo said, accepting his report with a nod. "We should get back on the convoy and establish contact with General Takishor and his staff."

The Nara stood there, watching his superior walk away with disgust. _Only eleven? _The words looped through his mind, mocking him with their lack of humanity. Putting his thoughts aside, he reentered the convoy and remained silent until they reached camp.  
The camp was located in a remote valley hidden in the mountains and snow. The sky was only visible if you looked directly upwards; mountains encircled the camp, along with ice and wind. He had been discharged for the rest of the day, leaving him free to make his way to the camp headquarters in hopes of hearing from the generals.

Any luck?" a voice called.

He turned around and saw another soldier watching him curiously. He shook his head in response.

"I figured as much. These damn winds are gonna make it a real pain to any kind of decent signal. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised; we _are_ an Allied Shinobi force."

"Are you suggesting that we're incompetent?" Shikamaru gave him a disapproving glance.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that this is a peacekeeping mission. It's something we've never done before, so of course it's not just gonna run smoothly. Just ask the eleven we just lost to some rag-tag separatists!"

"Get out!" Shikamaru yelled. "Get _out_!"He shoved the other man, punctuating his anger.

"You think you're some high motherfucker, dontcha? Well, I got something for you to ponder. The whole shinobi world is watching this play out, so if you or the colonel make a wrong decision, you're done. We don't know these savages or how they fight—we shouldn't be here!"

"Say one more word, and I'll be happy to send you home with a 'battle wound.' How would you like that? Maybe your parents will feel proud that their insubordinate son actually did something." He held him in place with his shadow possession jutsu, a kunai at his neck. Taking a deep breath, he released both, letting the man scramble away in panic.

He settled once again to wait for word of any incoming messages, but all he heard was static.  
The night sky swept over them, gracing them with frigid wind. Shikamaru was at his desk, lighting candles to write a letter back home.

"May I come in? It's Hakomo," a voice called.

"Sure, but close the curtains quickly. The cold is troublesome."

Hakomo found a chair to sit on and lit a cigarette. "A smoke always hits the spot on a cold night." Taking a drag, he watched him contemplatively. "What have you been up to? I haven't seen you since we arrived."

"Well, if you must know, I've been here listening to static all day. We've been trying to establish a signal with General Takishor, but this wind isn't allowing it. Judging from the mountains and altitude we're at, though, we should be able to get a signal strong enough to communicate soon."

"Well done. I'll get out of your way, then."

"Don't you want to talk to them? I'm not doing anything really important, just writing home."

"Even though I'm a colonel, I don't take failure well. I can't tell them that we lost eleven men. I'll take responsibility for it, but I can't say it. It's too heavy a burden."

Shikamaru stopped writing and glanced at Hakomo. "Can I ask you something? With full faith, of course."

"Shoot."

"Do you think all of this is really worth it? I'm no stranger to war, but I just saw a man die in front of me—and that's not what bothered me. It's the fact that I was the last thing in the world that he saw, that he died far away from home. I know we're at war, but all of this...it just seems troublesome. We're just here to be peacekeepers and show the world that the Land of Iron can play fair. I haven't even met the general. How are we supposed to conduct an armed operation without basic planning?"

"I can't tell you if it'll be worth it, but we lost men today, so even if just for their sakes, we can't allow ourselves to fail this mission. As for our objective, we haven't been debriefed yet. Hopefully that'll change by tomorrow. A group of four hundred plus men out here in the cold won't be happy. They already don't like the Badia. Don't want them catching mountain fever, you know?"

"I'm assuming it makes them deranged and unstable?"

"That's putting it lightly. This land isn't meant to be inhabited."

A distorted voice crackled from the receiver. Shikamaru rushed over, putting the headset on. "Hello? This is convoy A27. We've been instructed to make contact with General Takishor and his officers. Do you hear us?"

"Yes. We've picked up the signal; we're going to secure the line now." There was a slight pause for a moment before a new voice came on the other end. "Hello. Am I speaking to Colonel Hakomo of A27?"

"Negative. He's making his nightly rounds, getting the privates familiar with the area." He glanced at Hakomo and winked conspiratorially; he wasn't going to let him be punished. "This is Lieutenant Nara."

"Very well. We have reports and unconfirmed rumors that there was a skirmish today?"

"Yes. We haven't properly diagnosed the situation yet, but we believe we were ambushed."

"Ambushed?" He could hear the disappointment in the general's voice. "Were there any casualties?"

"Yes, sir. We had eleven." Tapping his pencil, he waited for further orders.

"What were their names? We have to alert their families."

"Yes, sir, let me give you the list." Reaching into a drawer and pulling out a sheet of paper, he began to read the names, ages, and ranks of the lost men. Most of them were under the age of twenty five.

"We'll have them properly vested and awarded for their efforts. None of this bodes well for us. The Badia marched into our capital and tried to take control of a street. We managed to drive them out and arrest some of them, but too many civilians saw, and it's all over the news—pictures everywhere of us arresting demonstrators. Little do they know that we picked up two of them with paper bombs in their possession. "

"Why, exactly? Why are they demonstrating now?"

"Once the war ended, the era of peace came. When peace came, everyone in the land focused on domestic issues. The Badia have always been a vocal minority in this nation, and they voted on a referendum to have a provincial government that would serve as a province of the Land of Iron. It passed, but we refused to acknowledge their government until they accepted our code of law, which they have refused to do. Soon they started calling for separation and now here we are, trying to protect our nation's interests and resources."

"I understand, sir. I wish I could report further on the situation, but the environment is new to me."

"That's alright, Nara. We're going to have an airdrop in your camp. The drop includes some basic tools and MREs. You are to inform Colonel Hakomo that he is to go past the checkpoint and distribute them in the nearest Badia village as a sign of good faith and all that."

"Forgive me for asking this, General, but when are we going to be debriefed?"

"We're still assessing the situation. In the meantime, your orders are to remain stationed and to make supply trips to the nearest Badia town, Daschatora. It's an easy trip through the northern expanse—shouldn't take longer than two hours. I expect you and Hakomo to be there by tomorrow afternoon. From there, you can assess the situation and, if possible, speak diplomatically to any leaders of the rebellion that might be present. We have to save face after today's incident. I suggest you take a force of ten to twelve of the calmest and most experienced men in the squadron. We don't want some jumpy shinobi attacking anything that moves and startles him. We should have a formal debriefing by tomorrow to clearly outline any objectives. Rest easy, Nara."

"Yes, sir."

The connection went dead immediately, and Shikamaru turned over to face the man next to him. "We're expected to receive an airdrop of basic supplies shortly."

The colonel nodded. "I'm assuming we dole them out to the Badia?"

"Yes, sir. Do you know where Daschatora is?"

"I figured as much. It's not too far away from here. It's a pleasant village, very friendly. They hold an unusual celebration this time of year."

"Unusual?"

"They dig holes around the outskirts of town and dump all the materialistic things that have no use for them anymore, and then they celebrate."

He gave a slight grin. "Well, that's certainly something to see. Are they shinobi?"

"No. They've fought and had religious skirmishes thousands of years ago, but they're known for their simple lifestyle. Very skilled archers and horsemen, though." Hakomo lit another cigarette and began to walk away. "I'll leave you for the night."

"Before you go, do you know if any flowers grow around here?"

"Uh..." Pausing to think, he snapped his fingers. "Yes! I remember now. In Daschatora there are these humongous trees standing in the center of town with these really, really, bright orange flowers that give off this sort of fresh scent only at night. I'm not a botanist or anything like that, so I don't know the name. The citizens are pretty protective of it and will only allow you to take one if…ah...I can't remember at the moment. I apologize."

"No worries."

"Are you writing home?"

"Yes, I am."

"Ah, I see. She'll like the flowers, I'm sure of it."

Shikamaru looked up, giving him a brief smile before returning to his writing. "You get some sleep. I'll wait for the airdrop."

His superior nodded and walked out of the tent, surprised at the younger man's maturity.

**A/N: Hey guys, thank you for keeping up with this story! I know this chapter didn't have much excitement in it, but I'm grateful for all the readers who made it this far. As always, feel free to leave a review. I also would like to give a huge amount of praise to my new beta, . She is really dedicated to her craft and I'm extremely glad to begin working with her. Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters named.**

A chirp was heard, then another. Sasuke blinked lazily and yawned; stretching his arms in a half-daze, he slowly opened his eyes.

His yawn was cut short.

_What the..?_

Looking under the bed sheets, he was surprised to see that he had no underwear on. Taking a peek at his also naked partner, he nodded in approval of her body.

_Nice ass._

Still, he couldn't shake a lingering feeling of unease. He carefully made his way out of bed to examine the kunoichi's room.

He heard a slight murmur, and saw her slowly start to wake up.

Sakura's eyes immediately shot open once she felt a presence in her room. She looked around, seeing pants on the floor, her dress, socks, and underwear strewn about messily.

"Oh, crap," she muttered.

Sasuke froze and slowly turned around to face her. "Good...morning?"

"Oh! You're still here. Umm...good morning?" She blushed, twisting her hair through her fingers.

"Yeeaahh. I really-"

"Last night was crazy, I know. I don't remember all that much of it." That was actually a lie, as Sakura could have gone over every last detail.

"Same." He smiled cheekily. That was also a lie.

The room became silent, each of them trying to avoid looking at the other.

"Do you…want to talk about..._this?_" Sakura asked very shyly.

"Uhh...sure," Sasuke said, scratching his head and sitting down on the side of her bed.

She gulped. "So what do we do?"

"I think...we shouldn't tell anybody about last night."

"Yeah, I definitely agree."

Sasuke could've sworn he'd heard her sigh.

"It's too much of a hassle, you know?" he reasoned. "People will be asking us about our relationship, and we're obviously not together."

"Obviously..."

"We're friends. Friends, who just had a crazy night and can't remember it."

Sakura nodded. She felt as if she'd just been hit by a car; her whole body was numb.

The Uchiha was silently cursing himself. He'd developed feelings for his former teammate, and here he was pissing all over his own best interests, _again_.

Swiping at his mouth with the back of his hand to clean off any dried drool that might have been on his lip, he spoke again. "If you want...we could have lunch today? If you aren't too busy at work, or anything like that?"

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Where do you want to go?"

"I'm not really the type of guy that knows places to eat."

"I'll figure it out, don't worry."

"Whoa. Just like that? You're not going to call in to work and tell them you're going to take the day off?"

"Sasuke….today's Saturday."

"YUP. And with that, I'm gone," he said, laughing. "You know how messed up I am."

"I can tell." She laughed back.

"I've got to get my shirt and pants first. So I'll pick you up at around three?" Sasuke asked while rummaging around for his clothes.

"Yeah..I-" her statement was cut short by the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

In a frenzied panic, Sasuke grabbed a pillow, covering his boxers in a pathetic attempt at modesty.

The door opened.

"Hi there, Sakura. Naruto told me that he wanted to hang out today and I thought you would want to come along," Sai said. "Hi there, Sauske," he added, completely oblivious to the fact that they were both practically naked.

"WHAT THE HELL, SAI?! HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE?" Sasuke yelped.

He smiled, blushing in embarrassment. "Oh, you don't remember? It's quite a funny story. You see-"

Sasuke waved his hands in frustration. "No, I don't want to hear it. I've got to go. I'll see you later, alright?" He rushed through the door with his clothes bundled up into a ball.

"I wonder why he was in a rush." Silence loomed over Sakura and Sai, broken by a beeping sound from downstairs. "I made breakfast!" He looked at her, smiling obliviously.

"You really haven't got the whole reading other people's emotions thing down yet, have you?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes in frustration.

Meanwhile

Sasuke had found himself in a less than perfect scenario. Here he was, sneaking out of Sakura's apartment in nothing but his boxers. He didn't want the whole village to see him in such a predicament, so he called in a favor from Ichiraku, who let him use his bathroom to change. Fully clothed, he continued on his way back to Naruto's apartment.

"Hey, Naruto, are you home?" the dark haired man asked, hoping his friend would be willing to listen to all the chaos he'd been through the previous night.

"I'm in my room. You can come in if you want."

"Do I have a story to tell-" His sentence was cut short as he found the Uzumaki hunched over a desk. "Um…what are you doing?"

"Can't you see? It's a ship in a bottle. Well, it's going to be! I'm having a hard time trying to get the ship in the bottle."

"I don't think you're supposed to build the ship outside of the bottle."

"I'll be the judge of that," Naruto said, carefully trying to cram the tiny ship into the bottle. On his third attempt, the ship cracked and splintered. "Aw, man!"

"I told you. What made you get into this all of a sudden?"

Naruto began picking up the splintered pieces. "If you must really know, it's because I'm bored out of my mind. Whenever I'm not with Kakashi, I'm stuck here."

"Why don't you invite Hinata to hang out?"

"Nope. Not going to happen."

"Okay. I'm just saying, you're going to want to get laid eventually."

"I'm guessing that's what happened last night?"

He felt his face get hot. "I guess you could say that." He winked conspiratorially at his friend.

"Please don't go into detail."

"I won't, but it was nice. The dinner, I mean."

"I'm a thousand percent positive you're talking about the dinner," Naruto said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And I'm a thousand percent positive I'm going to have lunch with Sakura, while you sit here with your flimsy little bottle."

"I think I'm going to get into stamp-collecting," Naruto declared, pulling out a scrapbook with hundreds of stamps in it. "So that means you asked her out?"

"No. It's weird, and standing in your underwear isn't exactly the best time to ask a girl out. And then Sai came in again. How the hell does he do that?"

Naruto broke out into laughter. "Well, we were supposed to hang out today, but looks like that isn't going to happen."

"You can hang out all you want when you finally ask out Hinata."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it."

Sauske stood over his friend and asked. "Why don't you just ask her out? You know she likes you!"

Naruto twiddled his thumbs restlessly. Growing anxious, he felt his throat get heavier, and with a sigh he began. "You know how you came back here not that long ago?"

The Uchiha nodded, trying to understand the significance of it.

"Well, about a year ago, I made a mistake,_ a big one._"

Sauske's eyes widened, surprised at Naruto's tone. He pulled up a chair. Naruto continued.

"I uh...um..." Naruto huffed out a breath of pent up anger and frustration. "I told Hinata that I loved her too, and unfortunately, at the time that wasn't the case. I still had feelings for..." Unable to finish the sentence, he pointed back at his friend, who knew exactly which girl he was talking about. "So we scheduled a date that weekend—a Saturday, to be exact—and I got cold feet. I stood her up. Now, I don't know exactly what happened that night, but it..." Tears were now visibly gliding off his face. "It ended with her trying to kill herself in the shower."

Sasuke had never seen his friend so beat-up and distraught from telling a story. Unable to think of a response, he just there and waited for his friend to get better.

After some time in silence, Naruto lifted his head up and forced a smile onto his lips. "I'm alright."

"That's good. Anything you need?"

"No... Actually, when you go out on your lunch date with Sakura, can you pick me up some stamps?" His voice sounded lifeless.

"Sure." Sasuke stood up and tried his best to console him; he'd never been any good at expressing emotion, let alone being someone's friend—_best friend_. He gave him an awkward pat on the back that somehow turned into an awkward brotherly hug.

"I needed this."

"Glad to hear it."

Naruto stood back, ashamed of his depression, and walked out of the room. "I think I'm going to see Kakashi." The door closed, and Sasuke found himself alone in the blonde's room.

Though he'd never had any real interest in the lives of others, it was different with Naruto. He had grown on him, _like a fungus_, he always said.

Casually looking through his computer, an image had popped up. It was a newly created account for some social website. Scrolling through his list of contacts, he saw that he had added Hinata. A few scrolls later, and he found that Naruto had also made a parody account of himself.

_That little troll_.

Standing up and accidently knocking off some papers from his desk, he realized that he wasn't going to go see Kakashi. An unconscious smile spread across his face.

Good luck, Naruto.

Naruto tried to walk normally to his destination, but couldn't. Every block, he had to stop and catch his breath or walk into a store just to feel the cool breeze. Every step he took, he felt the sun being magnified on him. Trudging on his way, his mind raced frantically. Every possible scenario played through his head. He wasn't much of a strategist, but for ten minutes he became one.

And then, his destination was in sight. Now all he had to do was knock on the door.

**A/N: R/R! More coming soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto scratched his cheek. He was only a knock away from seeing the girl who he had hurt so badly over than a year ago.

Here goes nothin.'

Knocking three times, he quickly retreated from the door as if it was plastered with paper bombs. The sounds of the multiple locks being released made him cringe a bit as the door slowly opened.

"Shino?"

"Can I help you, Naruto?" he asked with his trademark blank stare.

"...Doesn't Hinata live here?"

"Yes, she does. She stepped out for a moment and asked me to watch over her house."

An awkward pause followed.

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"C'mon! Why not? I'm one of your closest friends!" He waved his hands emphatically.

"Hmph." Shino grudgingly acknowledged and slowly began to close the door. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel right letting you in after…" He took one last look at Naruto and slammed the door.

"It's fine, Shino! I'll just wait right here, outside!" he yelled bitterly from the sidewalk.

Hinata had just finished shopping and rounding the corner, she was stunned to see him, of all people, yelling and making a fuss outside her home. Slowly walking up behind him and contemplating her next move, she dropped her keys, alerting him to her presence. Twisting around to face her, he saw a red tinting her cheeks as she tried to smile up at him while up her keys.

"H-Hi." She ignored the trembling in her legs. "You're lucky I c-came so soon. You probably didn't want to wait outside all th-this time."

"I was all set to camp out, actually," he joked. "I was about to head back home and bring a cooler."

She laughed awkwardly.

What do I do about him?

"Can I help you with those?" he asked, noticing the two bags she carried.

Before she could muster a response, the man who had made her feel all types of ways swooped in and took the weight off her shoulders.

"Thank you." She bowed faintly and walked up to her door; opening it and walking inside, she felt an absence behind her. "You're not going to come in?"

"Not without your permission. Plus, Shino is there, and he pretty much told me to get lost," he grumbled, still displeased at the quiet shinobi.

"Don't mind him; he just looks o-out for me. You can enter if you want and help me put away the groceries."

Naruto entered the home of the Hyuuga and was promptly directed by Hinata to the kitchen. He'd always known the Hyuuga clan was well-off, but there was a definite difference between hearing rumors of lavishness and witnessing it firsthand. His eyes were soon captured by a gargantuan dirt pile in the courtyard of her home. "What's with the dirt?"

"Oh." She blushed, embarassed. Hinata never liked going into details about her clan's wealth and their plans. "We're building a-a small pool."

"SMALL?! Are you kidding me? I thought you guys had amazing eyes! Look at mountain of dirt," he grinned, pressing his face to a window that opened onto the courtyard. "It has to be at least ten feet high! You should really have a barbeque when it all gets finished. And everyone will come in their bathing suits."

"B-bathing suits?" She felts her cheeks get hot once again, wondering if her appearance would please him.

"Yeah, and everyone will bring food and booze, lots of booze. Actually, scratch that. I was so wasted the night of your homecoming; it's still a blur in my mind." He rubbed his head shyly.

"You weren't that wasted, you walked me home safely that night."

"Did I, now?" His eyes shot up as he began to place the groceries in her pantry, hiding his face from hers.

"Yeah, don't worry, you were a perfect gentleman." Her back was also turned to him as she washed her hands to drown out her thoughts.

A deafening pause lingered in the air. "I didn't say anything dumb that night?"

Turning off the faucet, she hesitated. "No...you didn't, you just complained about Sauske."

"Ah, now that sounds like me." He grinned at her as he put the last of the groceries away. "That's the last of it. I should get going, unless you want to do something...?" The Jinchuuriki's voice trailed off questioningly.

"Don't go. You're m-more than welcome to stay. Kiba is coming over in a couple of hours for our weekly date night."

"So you guys are a thing?" he asked, desperately trying to bury any anger or malice towards the dog-boy.

"No. He's just a friend, that's all. Like Shino."

Upon hearing his name, Shino poked his head out and glared fiercely at Naruto, who returned the favor wholeheartedly.

Clearing his throat he walked into the room and made his presence known. "I apologize, Hinata. I wasn't aware you wanted company in your home."

"It's alright. Will you be staying with us tonight?" She peered shyly up at him.

"Actually, no. I have other plans."

"Really? What do you have planned out? Are you meeting someone?"

"No, just other plans." He nodded curtly to both of them and escorted himself out.

"Strange. He always stays for team bonding night..."

"He's a busy man, we all know that."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing breathily. "Does your team still bond together?"

"Funny you should ask that. Bond isn't quite the word to describe it. I'm thinking of another word that starts with the letter 'b.' "

"I'm d-drawing a blank."

"Bone."

"Bone?"

"Yeah! You don't know what bone means?"

"N-no," she said very timidly.

He looked around for props to use as an accurate physical description. Finding a cup and a bottle of sake, he demonstrated for her, slowly inserting the bottle into the cup and removing it. He repeated the demonstration, unsure if she had gotten the message or not.

After the third time Hinata understood the meaning of the exercise and blushed heavily.

"Ahhh, now you've got it!" He laughed at her embarrassment. "C'mon, let's go take a seat."

"Y-yes, I'll take you to the entertainment room."

True to her word, she led him to a stylish room full of shogi tables and cards.

"Why do you have so many decks of cards?" he asked curiously.

"Practice?"

He blinked at her quizzically.

"For my eight trigram justu. Staking cards helps with my coordination and speed. D-do you...want to see?"

"Sure!"

In the blink of an eye, Hinata had activated her Byakugan and fabricated a four-story house of cards.

"Whoa."

"It's not that impressive. Neji made them bigger."

As quickly as it had been built, a sudden burst of wind from the open window blew the house into shambles.

Hinata sighed and muttered, "I'll never be good as him."

Naruto heard her self-defeating thoughts and grabbed her hands, gazing earnestly into her eyes.

"Sometimes all people need is a little help," he said, activating his sage mode as he began to help her construct another house of cards.

Although he didn't see it, a slight grin tugged at her lips as she focused her attention on her companion's backside.

/ 

"Any reason we aren't traveling like real shinobi?"

"We're more visible this way. We don't want them to think this is some sort of ambush or something. Focus on the task at hand, will you?" grumbled Shikamaru.

The squadron was perched on a grassy hill just out of the village; they traveled forward with little organization as each soldier strolled lazily next to the other. It was still quite early in the morning. Even though a mountain range was directly behind them, its cooling effects certainly weren't felt. It was muggy and sweltering. Their socks had been heavily embroidered with seeds from dollar weeds and stained with the morning dew.

"There's the gates!"cheered an enthusiastic Hakomo.

"Alright. Remember, we are here to on a diplomatic mission, and we shall conduct it in good faith. Be courteous," the Nara warned the squadron.

Step by step, they trudged until the gate was right before them. Slowly raising their hands in the air to indicate peacable intentions, a thunderous clank was heard, followed by the sound of a suspicious voice and dark eyes peeking from a slit.

"Who goes there?"

"Do not be alarmed. We are the United Shinobi alliance. We wish to enter your village and give supplies to those who may need it."

"We don't want your supplies. Our people are strong and well fed."

"While that may be the case, the cold winds from the mountain will be making their way down here in a few months. Our food won't perish."

"No, thank you. We don't take food from anyone loyal to aggressors," the man said, closing the slit.

Hakomo signaled to his men not to move away. Another, muffled voice could be heard through the slit; it sounded like a discussion was taking place. Moments later, the slit reopened. "You may proceed." Immediately after, the gates rose reluctantly, and everyone was awestruck by the natural beauty of the village. Rows of flowers hugged and danced around every corner. Trees towered, shading much of the village. A collective wow emerged from their throats.

All eyes were glued to the decorated officers and the men who followed in their wake. Even as isolated as the village appeared to be, the citizens knew who they were and what they represented.

"We bring them free food and supplies, and they can't even smile?" Hakomo whispered to Shikamaru.

The lazy Nara just shrugged, expressing his indifference.

They continued to march onwards towards the local gubernatorial hall, hoping to find someone they could shake hands with, hopefully with photographers on hand to snap pictures of their friendly gesture.

After a few minutes of surveying the village, they discovered that the local building of government was only a few blocks away. Storming the building, they asked who was in charge and what branch it represented.

"We come with supplies, good intentions, and all that," one of the soldiers said despondently.

Wary glances shot between the secretaries and other government workers, confused by this group of strange men. After a few more moments of awkward silence, one of them phoned the mayor of the village with a plea to help deal with the outsiders.

A gush of warm air entered the room after some time as the mayor swept in.

"Hello. I am Colonel Hakomo. We represent the United Shinobi Alliance, and we come with gifts and supplies for you and your village." He stuck out his hand; the gesture wasn't returned. "This is my lieutenant, Lieutenant Nara. He's one of the brightest shinobi in the land."

The mayor took a look at him and a slim smile bloomed on his face. "We'll discuss the gifts later. I invite your men to rest at my compound, and for you two to join me in a tour of the town."

Shikamaru looked askance at his superior, who accepted the offer. Gazing at the mayor, he mentally took inventory of all his features. He appeared to be somewhere in his fifties, sporting a thick black beard. His forehead was marked by wrinkles, his lips were traced by lines, and he smelled of thick soap and cotton. Shikamaru didn't realize that he had placed his hands on them until he patted him on the back. "Shall we?"

They followed him, side by side, and gazed at the vines that roofed over many of the villages. "Does your village have a bird problem?"

"Funny that you ask. I wouldn't say it's a problem." The mayor glanced over at the litany of stalls serving fried crow. "It tastes a lot better than it looks."

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I heard from my superior that the village has a sizable tree, and that a special type of flower blooms from it. Do you mind showing us where it is?"

"It's special? You mean the dragonfruit?"

"I suppose so."

"I'll lead the way."

Between reassuring smiles and glances with the townsfolk, he asked the officers, "What is the real purpose of this visit?"

Hakomo stuttered a bit as he tried to gather an intelligent answer, but Shikamaru filled in for him.

"Do you want the real answer?"

He stopped walking and turned around and gazed at the Nara. "You say very little, but you command attention when you speak. We are a proud, friendly people, not dumb. We know the purpose of this little stunt. But do not worry." He raised his hands. "We aren't savages or murderers like the government makes us out to be. I understand that you wish to speak directly to the leaders of the rebellion, but why should I be the bridge between you? I believe our interests are in opposition ."

"We are the United Shinobi-" Shikamaru quickly pulled Hakomo to the side, cutting him short.

"We don't play around or speak for any single government, we speak for all. Legitimate or not." He gave the mayor a stern look, hoping the older man could understand.

"Well, what would you do? How would you stop an obtrusive government that violates your citizens' rights and persecutes them unjustly?"

"Are you talking about fighting tactics or in terms of being recognized?"

Hakomo sputtered at that and immediately reentered the conversation. "I apologize profusely; my lieutenant has been feeling under the weather this week." Quickly pulling Shikamaru to the side, he whispered, "What do you think you're doing? As your superior, I'm giving you direct orders to stop this at once! We aren't trying to escalate this situation any further. Shut up! Shut up!"

"This man isn't dumb! He knows-"

"I said shut up!" The whisper was a little too loud; the mayor turned his head towards them and smiled.

"It seems as though you two have some matters to sort out. I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day, but I invite you both over to my compound tonight for dinner." He clasped his hands together and reached out to grab a white flower from a tree. Handing it to Shikamaru, he nodded for him to take it. "That is the flower you were talking about. I suggest you hide it, the villagers don't like anybody trimming the vines of the great tree." With that, he studied Shikamaru's worn face and walked away.

A/N: Sorry for the little delay. Hope everything is going well for you guys!


	8. Chapter 8

The door slammed; both men were breathing heavily. "Are you trying to jeopardize this mission, Nara?"

"I'm not jeopardizing anything! I'm just gaining his trust. You think he can't see past, the whole village can't see past this mirage?"

"I don't care whether they can look past it or not. What you did out there was borderline treason!" He wiped his face in frustration and looked at Shikamaru once again. Strangely enough, he had his back towards him, and his attention caught on something else.

Shikamaru stared at the white flower in his hand. Hakomo noticed this and gave him a look of askance. "Oh. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure out a way to send this flower back to the Leaf without it withering. Let's just drop it and get ready for tonight. It won't happen again." He finished with a salute.

Hakomo gave him a narrow look but looked relieved nonetheless. "I'll make sure this gets delivered back immediately."

"Wait as second!" Shikamaru said, alarmed. Reaching into his back pocket, he produced an envelope. "Make sure this letter also gets delivered to Yamanaka Flowers."

The colonel gave him a sly, knowing grin and accepted the items, walking out of the room.

Shikamaru sat down wearily in his private quarters and rested his eyes. Thoughts emerged; did he actually intend to jeopardize the mission? Shaking his head, he rubbed his eyes and tried to rest once more. This attempt proved to be successful; after hours of cat-napping, he was awoken by the sound of Hakomo knocking on his door.

"Shikamaru, are you awake?"

At the faint answering grumble, he chuckled. "I had the package delivered. It should arrive by tomorrow. Also, dinner starts in an hour. Get yourself cleaned up and ready. I'll meet you in front of the ballroom."

With that, he awoke fully and proceeded to do just that. While prepping, a knock came once more. Opening it and half expecting it to be Hakomo with his tuxedo, he was at a loss when he saw a tiny man with glasses standing before him.

"This is for you, sir," the stranger bowed, handing him a colorful kimono. "You're the guest of honor, bestowed by the mayor himself."

Shikamaru's face scrunched in total confusion. "Thank you..?"

The Lilliputian-sized man nodded and continued to walk down the hall, handing out more kimonos to the rest of the squadron.

They all poked their heads out the hallway to see if anyone else had received the expressive robes. They stared at one another and then at the lieutenant, who shot them a look of bewilderment as well and offered a helpless shrug.

"I guess we should wear them. Change out of your suits at once." He nodded briefly to them all and shut the door.

Donning the robe on, he checked himself in front of the mirror and laughed. "If Ino were here…I wonder what she would say." He decided he looked presentable enough to go downstairs and join Hakomo.

"Ahhhh, looks like you got the clown robes too," Hakomo remarked sagely.

Shrugging his shoulders in embarrassment, he quirked a brow, silently asking if the other man had seen the mayor.

"No. Let's just hope we don't have to wait much longer."

Within a few minutes, applause broke out. Each servant and worker had stopped their busy bustling in deference to the mayor, who finally had made an appearance. Approaching the two officers, he playfully put his arms up in sign of surrender and smiled.

"Why are both of you standing outside the ballroom?"

"Waiting for you sir! After you," Hakomo bowed, but the mayor waved vaguely in dismissal.

"We don't have dinner inside; we have it outside so that the people can feast and enjoy the spoils." Placing his hands on their backs, he guided them upstairs to a large patio. The servants had already prepared the table, which by Shikamaru's quick count seated thirty.

Across the patio, a tent had been set up, along with some large speakers.

For the musicians...?

The flavorful aroma teased his appetite.

The mayor ushered and gestured for both officers to stand next to him. He made eye contact with the Nara and discreetly whispered through his smile. "I want you two sitting next to me; give it a few seconds, and you'll see."

He was right. Within a few brief moments, the members of the village's ruling class presented themselves and began to schmooze and kowtow towards the mayor.

Offer after offer from businesspeople, advisors, officials, asking if they could sit next to him and talk was politely rejected. After all the greetings and introductions had taken place, he gestured at both of them to sit down.

A loud roar suddenly ripped through the sky. Hakomo looked off into the horizon anxiously, confused.

"You heard them?" The mayor stood up and leaned towards the balcony. He raised his already boisterous voice an octave and spoke yet again. "My people!"

The whole table stood up and slowly wandered towards the balcony. Shikamaru's usual expressionless face morphed into an expression of shock, his jaw hanging open. He counted hundreds of people, all civilians, sitting down and feasting as well.

"They hear you! The whole world hears you!"

They all stood and cheered. Their cheers rung in the ears of both officers.

Looking back at them, the mayor spoke directly to them. "I am but a simple worker for my people. Everything I get, they get tenfold. You don't see hunger, poverty, any petty injustices of the flesh. We protect and look out for our own."

Turning back towards the crowd, he intoned, "Eat, my family. Eat and be well." He smiled benevolently down before walking back towards the table to resume the feast.

"Well…we appreciate the dinner, but we're-"

The mayor rose, extending his hand in front of Hakomo's face, effectively cutting him off. "Please, call me Norihei."

They all shared brief glances, and he continued. "I hope you all enjoy what my village has in store for you."

Course after course was brought out, and the moon slowly brightened in contrast to the black sky. Suddenly the music stopped, then quickly started again as a group of dancers made their way around.

A large group of them synchronized their moves with the partner next to them as they put on a full display of the village's customs and dances. There was one woman in particular that seemed to be the center of attention of the performance. She was dressed in a long forest green silk kimono, cheeks artificially tinted. She twisted gracefully to with the sound of lutes mixed with guqins. The Nara glanced at the mayor and noticed him gazing lustfully towards the woman. Before he knew it, the music faded and he saw the mayor rise from his seat, glass raised.

"I present to you my wife, Aya." He tilted his head towards the woman in the green kimono, who was making her way over to him.

"Thank you, my love," she murmured before bowing before the table, whose occupants then rose and gave a small applause to her.

Taking a seat next to her husband, she politely introduced herself to the loudly dressed officers.

"I understand many guests are subjected to torture in those robes." She spoke half-heartedly, giving them a smile. "These are the men from alliance, I presume?" She looked to Norihei for confirmation.

"These are the peacemakers, yes. At least, that is what they claim." He shot a skeptical glance at Hakomo.

Little by little, the dinner crowd thinned out. Both officers found themselves in the mayor's private tent on the bottom floor, mere feet away from the citizens of the village, who still were celebrating and singing merrily into the humid night.

With a motion of his hand, a large, circular tray was moved out of the sight of the mayor and was carried outside by four guards.

"It's for my people, my loyal family still enjoying tonight. Let's get back to business, no?"

"Yes, let's," Hakomo said eagerly.

"You speak as if you seek peace, but how can peace be achieved under a government that ignores the pleas of my people, a government that belittles our customs and threatens our freedom? These are concerns that don't vanish overnight, and having a group of soldiers coming into my village in the name of peace does little to ease my fears. You claim to have a non-biased view, yet you receive and accept supplies from General Takihiro-"

Hakomo shot Shikamaru a questioning stare, obviously wondering how the mayor had received such sensitive information.

"Yes, I know of the origin of the supplies. And you have the gall to come to my village with those…those…insulting gifts!?" Standing up and pointing to the cargo the squad had brought with them, he spat at it in disgust. "I truly wonder where your view lies." He paused to recover his thoughts. "Forgive me, but there is no god here."

"Norihei!" His wife snapped at him for his negative remark.

"Aya! Aya! Please, I don't want to fight. These men aren't here for peace. They're here for the same reason everyone else throughout history has come through here. It's not for the mountains, or the flowers visible in the east. It's for our people, to enslave them, beat us down like the dogs you think we are. To tie us and dehumanize us. This I know, for I have seen it."

Shikamaru noticed his eyes, usually full of fire and energy, become lost and move sheepishly. He watched the other man's chest rise once more as his eyes began to fill.

"I have seen family die before me. I have held the hands of the helpless; I have prayed and been ignored by our god! The screams of terror! This is what I have seen. My people enslaved, their children abducted, this is what you bring! This is what you promise! This is what you want!"

A silence flooded the room.

Hakomo nervously cleared his throat. "Sir, I ask you not to speak like that."

"You're right." Wiping his eyes in frustration, he sat down in his throne. "We wouldn't want them to come back and raid us like they have in the past. Colonel, do you know how blood looks like when it's your own?"

"Yes, I have. What are you implying?"

"I'm implying you've never bled to death. I have. My whole village is my family. I've seen enough blood on these walls to paint the peak of the mountains and the valleys below them, and then enough to smear on your face so you can join in on the fun." He illustrated his words by thrusting his palm outwards, wiping it on the colonel's face.

Hakomo did not take this lightly; he pushed his hand away and stood up, hand pressed on the handle of his knife.

"Ahhh! Look, dear, the aggressors, or, as they like to be called, peacekeepers, have brought a blade to a table, a table where everyone is empty-handed, may I add. But I suppose we're all a bit jumpy, aren't we?"

He made a quick movement, prompting Hakomo to fully unsheathe his blade.

The mayor burst into laughter as his guards also readied their weapons, pointing them at the officers.

Shikamaru stood up slowly and pushed his comrade's blade down. "You have lost control. Let me speak to him." Turning around cautiously, he assessed his environment. "Sir, on behalf of the United Shinobi Alliance, I apologize profusely. But there is one question I want to ask."

"It seems you can learn something from your younger officer." He beamed smugly at Hakomo before taking a sip from his cup. "Yes?"

"When was the last time you were free?"

He stopped and looked at his wife, who looked at the jonin quizzically.

"The last time we drew a breath of air was during my grandfather's rule, nearly eight decades ago."

Shikamaru walked up to the mayor and was now face to face with him. "It's time to be free again." He said with a growing grin.

The man stood in silence, but offered the officer his praise through his eyes. "You must get going. I suppose you both have a busy day tomorrow." He nodded and directed his guards to safely escort them back towards their rooms.

En route to their rooms, Shikamaru tried to get his Colonel to open up his ears and listen to him.

"Hakomo-"

"Don't call me that. I'm your superior officer, and my name is for my allies, not traitors."

"You almost started a war back in the tent! I had to step in!"

"I don't care. I don't want anyone who disregards my orders on my squadron. I'll make sure Takishor and his men hear of this."

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Fall semester started and I've been doing a lot of reading. Please feel free to review, and as always, thank you. P.S Happy ShikaIno month! Can't believe it's already been a full year with this story!


	9. Chapter 9

"Is that so?"

The only audible sound in the room came from a wicker clock, steadily ticking away.

"Yes, General Takishor. I regret to inform you that Lieutenant Nara has gone native." Hakomo shot a disapproving glance at Shikamaru as he spoke into the transmitter.

"Are you aware of his current whereabouts?"

"Well, actually, he's here with me. I thought that he should hear directly from you in regard to his punishment."

"I see."

Takishor loosened his grip on the transmitter, giving a brief glance to his subordinates, who were quietly entering his office.

"Well, we certainly can't have an officer whose gone rogue, now can we?"

"Most certainly not, General."

"What would your punishment be for him?"

"Well, let me say how much it means to me that you would ask for my opinion, General..."

Shikamaru, standing in the corner of his superior's bedroom, simply rolled his eyes in disgust.

Hakomo, I think you've got a brown stain on your nose, he thought to himself.

"First things first. He did almost incite an armed conflict, so he must be dishonorably discharged within the next ninety-six hours. I recommend informing the Hokage know of this at once!"

A cheeky smirk overcame the general's face as he kept listening to his colonel drabble on and on; his eyelids even began to feel heavy, sliding slowly closed.

"Sir? ...Sir? What do you think of the plan?"

Covering his mouth to stop himself from releasing an audible yawn, he lent his vocal support to whatever his colonel had said. "I agree. Would you mind stepping out a moment so that I can speak to Nara? You know how standard protocol works and all that nonsense."

"Of course, sir."

Hakomo stood up and gestured for Shikamaru to come over and speak into the transmitter. He quickly left the room, abandoning his former subordinate to the tender mercies of Takishor.

Grabbing the transmitter, he bit his lip and sucked in the stale air that remained in the room. "Lieutenant Nara speaking."

"Good evening."

"Sir, I apologize profusely, and I will take any punishment you deem appropriate. I would also like to resign in disgrace, but only you have the power to discharge."

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Sir, I won't fight or appeal your rul-excuse me, can you repeat that again?"

"Why would I get rid of the only competent officer in the squadron? I received a number of reports saying Hakomo drew his weapon, and he confirmed it."

"He lost his temper, that's all. He's a good officer, just a bit hot-tempered."

"Tell him that he will not be suspended, and that you are to be promoted to Major immediately."

"Immediately?! My words weren't treasonous, but aren't you going to at least question me?"

"To be honest with you, when I first heard of these accusations I wasn't at all worried. I trust you and your words. After all, we will help them. We can't have the whole world think of us a warmongers. This could be a wonderful breakthrough and could assist with the peace talks."

"Thank you for trusting me."

"Now, as for what you said or may have said, at the very moment we cannot guarantee anything. But I am going to give you a direct order that must be followed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"I want you and the others to arm and train them. Build them up. Give them tactical advice as a symbol of strength and cooperation between both parties."

Shikamaru was indeed baffled by the prospect. His mind raced to calculate the reason behind this order. "Do you support their bid for independence?"

"I'm afraid that information is classified. This order came directly from my superiors, and… I suppose that if the subject of becoming a dominion was thrown out there and was being examined, then I suppose…having a competent military force won't be a bad negotiation tactic."

"So having the ability to defend themselves, while still paying tribute to your government, all in exchange for some flag and their code of laws? I must admit, I thought I was a good shogi player, but you, sir…"

"Two birds with one stone, right?"

Both chuckled drily to break the brief, static silence.

"I expect you to direct the orders and lead this whole…hmph…program. Yes, let's call it that."

"Well, sir, the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."

"Excuse me?"

"Sun Tzu, sir."

"Ah. I see. Well, I expect you to turn these warriors into professional foot soldiers. I'll give you nine weeks. You should be receiving an arms shipment at your base in around seven hours. I would suggest you talk this over with the officials in the village."

"Good faith?"

"If your record said you weren't so lazy, I might have moved you to serving behind the scenes as an advisor and have you work your way up the chain."

"Well, sir, I was in a position to become an advisor in a few years back home."

"A tongue and a brain! Who knew? I have some debriefing meetings to attend to very soon. Remember to be back in time for the shipment. We can't have fifty-plus crates sitting in the harsh cold. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Shikamaru hung the transmitter back onto the hook and pondered a bit. "Fifty-plus crates? Why so many?"

In truth, he didn't know much of Takishor and his background, but he was the man running the whole campaign and his ticket out of there so long as he lived up to his duty. Standing up, he took a deep breath and caught his reflection on a mirror. Looking at the image of a ponytailed man and his uniform, he saluted himself and walked away. He entertained one last lingering, uneasy thought in his mind, penned by the same man he'd quoted just moments before.

"There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare"

Shreds of gold shattered across his resting face, only to be covered by a lurking shadow. His eyes slowly opened, and he looked at the man who had scolded him just hours before. In his hands was a light brown package; he carefully opened it before Shikamaru's steady gaze. Hakomo smirked at the sight of the packet's contents and let out a huff of pleasure.

"Be careful with them," he said, tossing the bundle to Shikamaru.

Catching the package in midair, he slowly brought it to his chest and began to peel the brown wrapping that his former superior had haphazardly resealed.

To his fear and amazement the package was littered with paper bombs. He glared at each bomb then at Hakomo, wondering why they were even here.

"Came in the shipment about an hour ago. The fuses for those killers are in another package, along with more paper bombs."

"An hour ago?"

"Yes. You overslept, Major," he said snidely before bowing to him in respect.

Shikamaru was about to say something but stopped himself. He'd forgotten in his sleep that he had been promoted.

"A carrier hawk came past the mountains, a guard spotted it and told me it was for my eyes…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't see it coming, either. Let's get back to work."

"I was also made aware of the current assignment. Do you think we can do it? Tame the untamed?"

"We have to at least try," Shikamaru said before once again picking up and inspecting the box.

"Another of those, and we can clear those mountains," Hakomo said in an attempt at humor, quickly stopping himself at the sight of the stoic Nara.

He cleared his throat, uneasy. "I will…relay the orders to the rest. I'll leave you to discuss this with the mayor." Bowing once more, he quietly stepped out of the room.

An hour passed, and the newly-appointed Major had made his way slowly towards the setting of last evening's discussion. Surprised at the emptiness, he carefully looked and inspected the room. The nagging feeling that he shouldn't be there alone heightened his nerves. Allowing himself just a moment of calm, he studied the fabric and attire of a typical Badia archer. The green tunic was soft and cool against his fingers.

"It's wool."

With a quick turnaround, he almost let out a faint breath of relief. He held it in until he identified the source of the voice as Aya, the mayor's wife.

"It needed to be light so it wouldn't encumber our archers. They had to run around the hills constantly, setting up new defensive positions."

Rubbing his head in embarrassment, face tinged red, he nodded.

Sitting down on her chair and looking at him, she spoke. "One of our guards spotted a messenger bird. I assume it brings a rejection of your ideas?"

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his lighter, he avoided her glance and looked down instead.

"Just the opposite, in fact." But he hesitated, unsure of speaking his troubling thoughts aloud. "We are…supposed to train your soldiers."

She tilted her head. Shikamaru couldn't quite get a read on her.

"You aren't happy. I can tell."

"Why give the torch to the hunters?" she sniffed haughtily.

"I ask you to give the process time, but you will get freedom. If and only if you go through it, that is. You can't just take and take without giving!"

"They come bearing swords and leave taking blood. You haven't seen skulls piled on top of each other due to our resilience!" She snapped at him.

"May I ask why you are resisting? You are being handed a path towards freedom! Why are you are hesistating at the chance?"

"I will not send them to be human bridges! We are not second-class citizens, and we are most certainly not second-class soldiers!"

"No one said you were."

"If we accept your training, we accept your government as well!"

He knew there was no reasoning with this woman. "And so what if you do? You gain the gifts of modern civilization? You develop a representative democracy? Are you afraid of your oligarchy eroding? Blood doesn't make you a ruler; it doesn't give you the right to reign over every man's life. It trickles down and becomes tainted, exposed to the elements, until it finally rots your core until you die."

"Then the government of the blood hungry shall sink their teeth on a lifeless body. We shall remain in a constant struggle until my father's dream can be seen from eyes of the children!"

"Will a war destroy the eyes of the children—if any survive, that is?" It was rather dark for Shikamaru to say, but something had to be done to not sabotage a chance at peace for both sides.

"That's a very sad statement. One that quells your thirst?"

"I have no sides. I have stressed this enough."

Aya simply leveled her hardened gaze at the man before her and walked out; he heard her scoff and mutter something under her breath.

Shikamaru knew that training was to begin soon regardless of Aya's dislike. After all, her husband was the one granted power. Looking down at the circular table by his knees, he bent down to get a better look at an object flickering at the edges of his vision.

It was a book.

The book was wrapped in leather and from its surface could be seen that it had been worn. He fluttered some of the pages, stopping at every hand-drawn landscape and sketch. He concluded rather quickly that the book was old, but what was it? A book of legends? Taxes? Continuing to scan to find the answer, he came across the preface.

"We are planning a second volume, but it has been delayed after a mysterious illness has confined him to his bed for the past few months. Outside forces have spread rumors of a coming death, but we expect a full recovery from his illness and to have it out by then, to satisfy and fill them with regret."

Caught in a consuming fire of curiosity, he needed only to turn the page to see who the book had been written by.

So he did.

"The Dictation of Revolutionist Thoughts"

"_For my beautiful son, Norihei_."

A/N: Happy ShikaIno month to all readers! Read and Review.


End file.
